If you fail at one business, get into another - .@peterose_14 continues to hustle

Baseball may have a new commissioner, but it still enjoys looking to its past. Earlier this month, baseball held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York. Obviously an event such as this is bound to lead to reminiscing, but sometimes a look at the past is not appreciated by everyone. Take this story shared by Staten Island reporters Charlie Greinsky and Jay Greinsky.

During a break for a TV commercial, [Jane Forbes] Clark asked Barry Larkin to name the greatest moment in baseball history he witnessed. His reply was Pete Rose's 4256 hit. The crowd went wild and Commissioner Bud Selig sat expressionless.

Selig, you see, is part of the group that is enforcing Pete Rose's lifetime ban from baseball for betting on the sport. Whatever one may think of the ban, you have to admit that it dictates the Stalinist-style treatment of Rose as a non-person (Jim Murray's words) whenever official baseball events take place.

Yet Rose still made his way to Cooperstown - just not in an official capacity. You see, because of all the fans who congregate in Cooperstown, a number of retired baseball players like to show up and sign autographs - for a fee. Rose was no exception.

Also signing at his usual spot was Pete Rose. Pete was signing balls with crazy inscriptions such as " I am sorry I bet on baseball, I was not in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963, I did not shoot Lincoln."

The Greinskys went on to say:

He spends his time now living in Vegas signing balls from dawn to dusk four days a week.

You can't blame him - autographed baseballs at Rose's official website sell for $99.99 and up. The $199.99 version:

Hits 4256
Steroids 0

Selig probably doesn't like that either.